my goldfish are afraid of minnows please help ASAP. there freaking out

I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 comet goldfish one 3 inches and the other 2.5 inches, 2 kuhli loaches both 2 inches long, 4 small snails, 1 rubber lipped pleco 2 inches. that was all the fish up until yesterday i added 4 rosy red minnows and my goldfish were freaking out, the minnows would follow the goldfish were ever they went so the goldfish went into a corner of the tank touching the gravel not swimming unusual behavior for them so i left them like that hoping they would get along i woke up and the same thing. there has been no agrression between any of the fish the minnows just follow the gold fish and the goldfish are scared. i put the minnows in a breeder box in the tank and the goldfish went back to normal. what do i do i am really stressed out for these goldfish. the minnows never attack or harm them they just follow the goldfish. please help

the 10 gallon tank is well over stocked but this is a temperary tank the permenent tank has not been bought yet but its a 46 gallon aquarium it will be bout in a month or so. all levels in the tank are perfect i clean the tank and test the water every 3 days because the tank is so overstocked i do 25 percent water change and gravel vacuum. the tank is the normal 10 gallon tank dimensions the tank has a 20 gallon filter and the tank has been up for 2 months now and thats the info on the tank.

please reply soon i am worried for the goldfish.

i realize the tank is overstocked but why are the goldfish affraid of the minnows

Maybe you should have waited until you got your bigger tank before adding more fish, the goldfish are probably stressed out with so many fish in such a small space. I would take the minnows back, or if you can get another 10 gallon cheaply put the goldies in there until you can upgrade though tbh comet goldfish should be in a pond not an aquarium.

Sorry to say that the stocking is almost certainly the reason for your problems. In a tank that small with that many inhabitants, you could have a jet engine for a filter and it wouldn't solve the underlying problem of no one having any space. Even a 46 gallon is too small imo, given that the goldfish are comets who are, if we're being honest, much better off in a pond. If you can swap them out with two fancies, you have a better chance of not being overstocked in the 46. You'll want to add a couple more kuhli loaches when the time comes.

You're not overstocked, imo, you're hyperstocked, and filtration stops being an issue if no one has any room to move. If you can return the minnows, I suggest doing so and buying new ones when the permanent tank arrives. The stress levels being placed on your fish right now are extreme, and I wouldn't be surprised if one or more exhibit signs of illness in the near future, regardless of what the parameters are coming back at.

You are very right when you say it is overstocked. Not only that but you probably should get 2 tanks or return the goldfish or tropical fish, because comets get very large and are not tropical fish. Your tropical fish need a heater.

the over stocking part cant be fixed untill i get a bigger tank becase the pet store wont take back fish and all of the ponds nearby have dead fish every where in them and i want to keep the fish alive.

How was the garbage can cleaned? Has it ever come into contact with any kind of soap or cleaner aside from water, bleach or rubbing alcohol? How big is the garbage can? How many gallons does it hold? Is it very tall and thin, or is it a squattier can? Does it have a filter and heater?

All the questions are there to help us understand exactly what you're working with and give you the best recommendation. For instance, if the garbage can was cleaned with soap, I would never recommend putting fish in it.

it is 30 gallons about 3 feet tall and around a foot wide it was bought from the store new and i cleaned it with hot water and a new sponge no chemicals cleaned it the water is always at 80 degrees but i could not afford a filter for it so i have many plants in it

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, and I don't think that the footprint is suitable for rosy reds. If you're unwilling to consider rehoming the goldfish (which would really be the best solution, as they're unsuitable even for a 46g), I suppose I've heard of worse ideas than keeping rosy reds in a snail breeding trash can. Just make sure you have caves in there for them, as they prefer lots of cover, and do large (50%) water changes every other day or so--at least. Snails are dirty critters, rosy reds are messy fish, and parameters can get out of control quickly.

For the record, I'm not a fan of this idea, but if it's minnows in a trash can or everyone in a 10g...

i dont think i can part without the goldfish so i just cant get rid of them i will do everything i can to keep all of the fish alive ill get rid of the tropical fish though thanks for the help TJBender im just trying to make do with what i have thanks again

The advice is correct and I advise you to follow it. Comets are not suited to being kept in any aquariums and it would be best to rehome them. However, at the end of the day they are your fish, it is your tank and therefore it is your decision.x

EDIT: Many goldies will not be a fan of little groups of fast fish. Imagine being swarmed by two year olds in a small room

I don't think the goldfish are specifically scared of the minnows. I think that everyone feels squeezed right now. The minnows just happened to be the straws that broke the back, in my opinion. Putting them in the breeder box is sort of like sweeping dirt under the rug. It temporarily hides the mess but does not clean it up. Also, sticking the minnows in the box is going to stress the minnows. Soon the goldfish will still be stressed and so will the minnows (who were just fine before). I think this is one problem that is only fixed by a bigger tank, and I can't say that something won't happen in the next month.